Chapter 5
Kara
The final bell rings at 3 PM, and I'm just about to get up and leave when I hear rustling and whispers behind me.
I glance back to see Sophia and Emma still sitting at their desks, Emma digging through her expensive handbag for a small mirror while Sophia rummages through her things.
"Damn it, I'm out of powder," Sophia whispers in complaint. "There's the Sterling family pre-party tonight, and I can't show up with this shiny mess of a face."
Emma frowns as she checks her makeup. "My mascara's almost gone too. God, we need to hit Sephora, but my mom took away my credit card today—said I spent too much this month."
"I'm out of allowance money too," Sophia says miserably. "All because I bought that dress last week."
I stop in my tracks, a crazy idea forming in my mind.
They need makeup. And I... I need to look like an actual girl at tomorrow night's birthday party, not some raggedy servant with messy hair and torn clothes.
Eighteenth birthday. The day of my first shift. If I'm lucky, maybe I can find my mate among those visiting wolves—someone from far away, someone who could take me away from this hellish place.
But the way I look now? I look like a street kid. Nobody's going to see me as a potential mate.
Fuck it. Just do it.
I turn around and walk to their table.
"I can help you," I say quietly.
Both girls look up at me, expressions confused.
"Help us with what?" Sophia asks.
"Makeup," I say, trying to keep my voice steady even though my heart is pounding. "I know where you can get cheap but good quality makeup. Not the big brands, but just as effective. I can take you there."
It's not completely a lie. Over the past few years, I've occasionally snuck into those discount stores in town, using whatever spare change I could save to buy basic necessities. I know which off-brand products are cheap but good quality.
Emma blinks. "Really? Where?"
"A few small shops on the edge of town. Prices are a third of what you'd pay at Sephora, but the quality is good." I pause. "But I need you to do me a favor."
Sophia leans forward with interest. "What favor?"
"Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday," each word feels like it's being squeezed from my throat. "It's also my first shift. Tomorrow night there's a party at the estate—the Sterling triplets' inheritance celebration. I want..."
I take a deep breath.
"I want to look like a normal girl. Not just buying makeup, I need you to teach me how to use it, how to put it together, how to make myself look... worth noticing."
Worth loving. Worth saving.
Emma's eyes go wider, her mouth forming a perfect O. "Oh my God, you want to find your mate at the party, don't you?"
I don't answer, but the truth is written all over my face: I want to get out of here.
Sophia's entire expression changes—from confusion to excitement. "Wait wait wait. Tomorrow is December first, right? That's also the Sterling triplets' birthday. You have the same birthday?"
"Yes," my jaw tightens. Don't think about it. Don't think about how they get a three-day celebration while I get a storage closet and cold leftovers. "But nobody remembers mine."
Emma grabs Sophia's arm, her voice going high and breathy. "This is so romantic! If you shift on your birthday and meet your mate the same night—that's like, destiny!"
Destiny. Right. If destiny were real, my parents wouldn't have dumped me like garbage. If destiny were real, I wouldn't have spent ten years being treated like a goddamn servant.
But I smile. I nod.
Because this is my only shot.
"Okay," Sophia stands up, suddenly all business. "Deal. We'll make you look incredible. Hair, makeup, clothes, everything. You help us save money on good makeup, and we'll make sure every wolf at that party notices you."
Something loosens in my chest. Something small and fragile and hopeful.
It scares the shit out of me.
"Deal," I whisper.
Before entering Nordstrom, Sophia suddenly stopped and turned to me.
"Wait." She looked at my wet boots and ratty coat, her brow furrowing slightly. "We need to get you some decent clothes first."
My face burned red. They noticed. Of course they'd notice.
"I don't have money—"
"Don't say it." Emma waved her hand, cutting me off. "You saved us a fortune, remember? Those cosmetics would have cost at least two hundred dollars here. And you only made us spend fifty."
Sophia nodded in agreement. "This is our way of paying you back. And if you're going to find a mate at tomorrow's party, you need to look like you belong there."
Belong there. The phrase stabbed into my chest like a knife. I'd never belonged anywhere.
"Really, I don't need—"
"Kara." Sophia's voice was firm. "Accept it. That's what friends do."
Friends. She said we were friends.
My throat tightened. Don't cry. Don't act like an idiot.
"Okay," I said quietly. "Thank you."
Emma grinned. "Great! Let's go pick out a killer outfit together."
Nordstrom is bright and warm and overwhelming.
The lights are too bright. The air smells like perfume and new clothes and money. I feel like an alien who just landed on another planet.
Everyone's staring at me. My wet boots squeak on the polished floor. My ratty parka drips melted snow. I look like a drowned rat in a palace.
Sophia and Emma don't seem to notice. They drag me straight to the juniors' section, pulling clothes off racks faster than I can process.
A red off-shoulder sweater. Tight black jeans. A cobalt-blue bodycon dress. A leather jacket that probably costs more than Luna Victoria pays me in a year.
"Try this!" Sophia shoves an armful of fabric at me.
"And this!" Emma adds another pile.
I stumble into the dressing room, my arms full of clothes that feel like they're burning my skin.
These cost more than I've ever owned in my life.
My hands shake as I strip off my wet jeans and threadbare sweater. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror—pale, bony, bruised knees from scrubbing floors—and I have to look away.
Don't think about it. Just try the damn clothes.
The first outfit: black skinny jeans and a red sweater. The jeans hug my hips in a way that feels foreign. Tight. Deliberate.
I step out hesitantly, tugging at the hem.
Sophia shakes her head. "Seven out of ten. The jeans are great, but the red is too loud. It washes you out."
Emma nods. "Agreed. Next!"
Okay. Not a disaster. Keep going.
Second outfit: a royal blue dress with a fitted blazer. The fabric is soft and expensive, molding to my body like it was made for me.
I smooth the dress over my hips, staring at my reflection.
Who the hell is that?
